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VISTAS Online
SUPPORT SYSTEMS FORPARENTS OF CHILDREN WITHSPECIAL NEEDS
Chiharu Hensley
Eastern Michigan University
Suggested APA style reference:Hensley, C. (2007, October). Support systems for parents of children with special needs. Paper based on a program presented at the Association for Counselor Education andSupervision Conference, Columbus, OH.
Objectives
To address common issues expressed byparents of children with special needs
To provide an overview of the currentstudy
To increase the public awareness of theissues and needs of such parents
Common Concerns/Issues Expressedby the Parents
Internal factors
High levels of stress
External factors(Ergüner-Tekinalp and Akkök, 2004; Gettingerand Guetschow, 1998; Goddard, Lehr, andLapadat, 2000; Heiman, 2002)
Blaming themselves ascause of child’s disability
Feeling shocked,depressed, guilty,
confused, angry, hostileand/or desperate at time of
diagnosis
Hopelessnessabout future ofchild and family
Lack ofparenting skills
Lack ofcoping skills
Limitedpersonal time
Lack of trustingrelationship with
professionals
Stereotypes andblame expressed by
others
Extra medical andtreatmentexpenses
Not enoughinformation aboutavailable resources
The goal of Study
To investigate the types of services used byparents of children with special needs residingin the state of Michigan and their effectivenessfor reducing the parents’ stress levels as wellas increasing their coping skills
Research Questions
What are the types of services used by theparents?
How effective are the services in reducingstress of the parents?
How effective are the services in increasingtheir coping skills?
What are some needs of such parents whichmay be met by counseling services?
Mixed Method
Survey
Participants recruited through listservs, contactwith local organizations, and word of mouth
Online, through www.surveymonkey.com
Paper, for the Counseling & Speech TherapyClinic on campus
Total of 64 participants
Focus group/interview
Recruited among the survey participants
Participant Demographics
98.4% (60 out of 61) were female
93.3% (56 out of 60) were Caucasian
51.7% (31 out of 60) were between age 31and 40
83.6% (51 out of 61) were married
88.3% (53 out of 60) had one child with specialneeds
47.7% (26 out of 55) rated the severity of thechild’s disability as moderate
Overview of Survey Results
“How would you rate your level of stress?”
“What would be the ratio of each factor that mightbe contributing to your stress level?”
Percentage of responses
Most frequently cited reason for not seeking suchservices “Unable to find services that seemed helpful for myneeds” (25.6%; 10 out of 39)
“Have you sought professional services in dealing withyour stress of raising a child(ren) with special needs?”
Most Frequently Used Services
Effectiveness of Services
Stress reduction ratePercentage of responses
Effectiveness of Services
Change in outlook on raising childrenwith special needs
Percentage ofresponses
“What have you gained fromreceiving the service(s)?”
“How likely are you to seek an additionalservice(s) in the future?”
“If you were to receive an additional service(s), whatwould be the most likely format?”
Limitations
Very few male participants?
Confusion with some terminology
Distinction among various services was vague
Accessibility to Internet
Limited to Michigan participants
Implications forCounseling Services
Primary format – group (low-cost, mutualsupport)
Sessions divided into two parts:psychoeducation and support group
Individual or family counseling as a follow-upservice
How they meet should be flexible (face-to-face, home visit, email, by phone etc.)
References
Ergüner-Tekinalp, B., & Akkök, F. (2004). Theeffects of a coping skills training program on thecoping skills, hopelessness, and stress levels ofmothers of children with autism. InternationalJournal for the Advancement of Counselling, 26,257-269.
Gettinger, M., & Guetschow, K. W. (1998).Parent and parent/child groups for youngchildren with disabilities. In Stoiber, K. C. &Kratochwill, T. R. (Eds.), Handbook of GroupIntervention for Children and Families. (pp. 345-360). Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon.
References
Goddard, J. A., Lehr, R., & Lapadat, J. C.(2000). Parents of children with disabilities:Telling a different story. Canadian Journal ofCounselling, 34, 273-289.
Heiman, T. (2002). Parents of children withdisabilities: Resilience, coping, and futureexpectations. Journal of Developmental andPhysical Disabilities, 14, 159-171.
Hensley, Chiharu, is a Master’s counseling studentat Eastern Michigan University. Her researchinterest in parents of children with special needshas come from her experience of working withindividuals with special needs as a board-certifiedmusic therapist (MT-BC). Her goal as aprofessional counselor is to integrate musictherapy into counseling.
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